About 200 delegates from 27 African countries and China started a two-day forum here on Monday to exchange experience, deepen cooperation in poverty relief to boost Sino-African friendship and improve the well-being of people in China and Africa.

The opening session of the 3rd China-African People's Forum was attended by Wang Zhizhen, vice-chairwoman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and vice-chairwoman of China Association for International Exchange, Sudanese First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih, Mauritanian State Minister for Foreign Affairs and representative of the African Union Makfula Hamoudi.

Wang, who read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, said the forum, by taking "action" as a key theme, would seek to draw a roadmap for long-term joint efforts in promoting Sino-African friendship and their peoples' well-being.

She said that China will work with African countries "in all domains to achieve mutual development, cooperation and peace."

"The Chinese people associate their development with the development of Africa and link China's development opportunities with those of Africa," Wang said. "China will continue supporting the African countries to speed up realization of the Millennium Development Goals."

For his part, the Sudanese first vice-president said "the Sino- African relations have developed inspired by the joint values between the African peoples and China and based on principles of cooperation, respect and common interests."

"China has continued in developing its ties with Africa, and the unique pattern of development adopted by China finds wide satisfaction in Africa," Salih said.

He noted that cooperation and solidarity among the African peoples have remained a noble goal encouraged by all parties of the joint African action.

Salih hailed the relations between Sudan and China as "a model for cooperation between China and the African countries and for the South-South cooperation."

Before launching the activities of the forum, Wang and the assistant to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Ibrahim Ghandour, inaugurated a photo exhibition highlighting the development of the relationship between China and African countries.

The first China-Afrian People's Forum was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in August 2011, and the second in Suzhou, China, in July 2012.